Lifestyle plans H.P. expansion, sets dates for January show
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, May 22, 2006
High Point — Lifestyle Enterprise said last week it plans to invest as much as $15 million in a 100,000-square-foot expansion of its Forbidden City showroom here.
The project would take place over the next 18 months and more than quadruple the size of the existing 25,000-square-foot building.
Separately, the case goods importer announced it will hold its second Forbidden City show here next Jan. 15–17.
The event is in response to the success of the first show, which ran this past January and drew some 500 buyers from 400 dealers. Lifestyle offered to cover airfare and hotel expenses for the first 500 qualified buyers.
Lifestyle Managing Director James Riddle said the company was still working out details for the 2007 show, so it wasn't clear whether it would offer the same incentives this time around.
"I can hardly wait," Riddle said. "I wish it was tomorrow.
"It was the most exciting furniture show I have been involved with. It was one of a kind and was a completely different wrinkle."
The Forbidden City event will make January an even busier month. Other furniture shows are set for Tupelo, Miss., Jan 10–13; Cologne, Germany, Jan. 15–21; and Las Vegas, Jan. 29–Feb. 2.
The showroom expansion, meanwhile, is at an early stage of development, and the company revealed few specifics about the project, including the configuration. However, company officials said it is a further sign of their commitment to High Point.
"We need the space badly," said John Wampler, Lifestyle's president of case goods. "We continue to view High Point as the best place to have a showroom."
Wampler said about 75% of the current showroom houses new introductions shown at the April and October markets.
The expansion will allow the company to show new product as well as other bestsellers in the existing line.
